IS THIS WORTH WATCHING?

I thought season 2 of Goosebumps was good but is it worth watching? If you liked Season 1 or have read any of the books growing up then yes, it’s certainly worth giving a chance. If you haven’t done those things or don’t have kids or enjoy sci-fi horror teen mystery drama then this might not be for you. Either way, I enjoyed it and maybe you will too!

STORY

SPOILERS: The brothers Brewer and how their story plays out with the young actors and with how it all ends in the present day was the highlight for me. Everything else though, like telling the stories from the books while connecting to an overall narrative, can’t be an easy feat and I have to give credit to the people behind this show for how they tie a lot of these books and stories together. I do wish we had more time with the alien dogs and maybe learned more about the alien(s) overall but I guess that would take away from the mystery. The secret conspiracy coverup angle was also interesting. I honestly didn’t care about any of the teen/young adult romance but I’m also a grown adult so that tracks.

CHARACTERS

Everyone did a fine job here with David Schwimmer’s Anthony Brewer being a standout for me. I do think though that the way a lot of these characters, mainly the kids/young adults, switch up on each other happens a little too fast. First they’re fighting, then they’re friends or liking each other and I just couldn’t buy some of it. Some of the romances seemed a bit on the forced side and out of nowhere with not a lot of buildup but other than that the characters are pretty straightforward with who they are and their motivations for the most part. As for the alien(s) I kind of wish we spent a little more time in the past instead of the present but overall the characters were just fine.

MUSIC

The original score from The Newton Brothers was good as I expect nothing less from them. The pop music was good as well but it didn’t really heighten or add to any scenes. It was just your current popular songs there to show you that the people making this show know what kids listen to with one AMAZING exception of course. Using Chop Suey! from System of a Down for some reason made Alex’s struggle with The Haunted Car both hilarious and terrifying to me.

RATING: 3/5

FINAL THOUGHTS

While I did enjoy season 1 a bit more, season 2 is a fine season with a bit of mystery, sci-fi and horror that you can watch while you work which isn’t a bad thing at all. What do you think of Goosebumps: The Vanishing and would you like to see a season 3? Let me know in the comments!

(Photo credits The Walt Disney Company.)